The present invention relates to upright dispensers for paper napkins.
Conventional paper napkin dispensers used in commercial eating establishments typically comprise a housing forming an internal compartment containing a stack of vertically oriented napkins. A front wall of the housing includes a vertical slot through which the napkins can be pulled one-at-a-time. The napkins can be interfolded wherein a napkin being pulled out will pull out a section or tail of the next napkin to facilitate the sequential dispensing of napkins.
However, on certain occasions it may be desirable to dispense napkins in bunches rather than one-at-a-time. For example, in fast food restaurants having a drive-through window, a restaurant employee bags a customer""s food order and then adds one or more napkins to the bag. Depending upon the size of the order, and the number of customers in the vehicle, the employee may want to add a bunch of napkins to the bag.
Removing napkins one-at-a-time from a conventional dispenser to form the bunch is excessively time consuming. Alternatively, a pile of napkins could be placed on a nearby surface from which the employee could remove the napkins in bunches, but besides taking up surface space, such a stack would be susceptible to being knocked over, contaminated, etc.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a napkin dispenser that facilitates the removal of napkins selectively in bunches or one-at-a-time. It would also be desirable when removing the napkins in bunches, to be able to select a desired number of napkins.
The invention relates to a napkin dispenser which includes a housing having upright walls and a floor together forming a vertical compartment for the reception of a vertical stack of horizontal paper napkins. The upright walls include a front wall. A horizontal slot is formed between the floor and a lower end of the front wall, wherein the horizontal slot communicates with a lower portion of the compartment for facilitating the simultaneous removal of a bunch of napkins through the slot.
Preferably, the floor includes a front edge situated below the horizontal slot, the front edge including a recess disposed midway between opposite ends of the slot for facilitating the insertion of a user""s finger beneath the bunch of napkins to be removed.
The front wall preferably includes a vertical slot extending upwardly from the horizontal slot at a location midway between opposite ends of the horizontal slot for facilitating the insertion of a user""s finger above the bunch of napkins to be removed.
The front edge of the floor is preferably offset inwardly relative to the lower end of the front wall, and the floor preferably includes a ridge extending thereacross parallel to the slot.
Support tabs are preferably attached to the wall structure for engaging an underside of the stack and supporting at least a portion of that underside above the floor.
The invention also pertains to a method of using the dispenser to simultaneously remove a selected number of napkins.